Contact-via chain as corrosion detector

Abstract

A detector for determining a faulty semiconductor component including a semiconductor component, a contact-via chain, which is situated laterally at a distance from the semiconductor component and which surrounds the semiconductor component in regions, a guard ring, which is situated laterally at a distance from the semiconductor component, and an evaluation unit, which is situated on the semiconductor component, wherein the evaluation unit is designed to apply an electrical voltage to the contact-via chain, in particular a permanent electrical voltage, to detect a resistance value of the contact-via chain and to produce an output signal when the resistance value of the contact-via chain exceeds a threshold value.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A detector for determining a faulty semiconductor component, comprising:
 a semiconductor component; 
 a contact-via chain situated laterally at a distance from the semiconductor component and which surrounds the semiconductor component in regions; 
 a guard ring situated laterally at another distance from the semiconductor component; and 
 an evaluation unit situated on the semiconductor component, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to apply a permanent electrical voltage to the contact-via chain to detect a resistance value of the contact-via chain and to produce an output signal when the resistance value of the contact-via chain exceeds a threshold value; 
 wherein the contact-via chain is connected, through the evaluation unit, to a positive electrical voltage by a substrate with n-doped wells and a p-doped substrate or to a negative electrical voltage by the substrate with the use of p-doped wells in an n-doped substrate, and 
 wherein the contact-via chain is surrounded by dielectric material or is embedded in the dielectric material. 
 
     
     
       2. The detector as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the guard ring is situated outside of the contact-via chain. 
     
     
       3. The detector as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the guard ring is situated between the semiconductor component and the contact-via chain. 
     
     
       4. A method for detecting a faulty semiconductor component, the method comprising:
 applying an electrical voltage to a contact-via chain, which is situated laterally at a distance from the semiconductor component and which surrounds the semiconductor component in regions, wherein a guard ring is situated laterally at another distance from the semiconductor component; 
 detecting a resistance value of the contact-via chain by applying a permanent electrical voltage to the contact-via chain; and 
 producing an output signal when the resistance value of the contact-via chain exceeds a threshold value; 
 wherein the contact-via chain is connected to a positive electrical voltage by a substrate with n-doped wells and a p-doped substrate or to a negative electrical voltage by the substrate with the use of p-doped wells in an n-doped substrate, and 
 wherein the contact-via chain is surrounded by dielectric material or is embedded in the dielectric material.